


A Place to Rest

by deepestfathoms



Category: The Prom (2020), The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Exhaustion, Fever, Gen, Mom Friend Alyssa Greene, Sickfic, Sleepiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestfathoms/pseuds/deepestfathoms
Summary: Upon noticing that one of her friends isn't in the best state, Alyssa decides to transform into the Mom Friend.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	A Place to Rest

Alyssa first noticed Winnie’s state in their fourth period theater class. First, it was the angry red flush over her nose and cheeks, then it was the dullness of her grey eyes, and then it was the way she kept nodding off during Trent’s lecture, which was odd, because the girl was usually nothing but alert during class. But here she was, whipping her head up fast enough to give her whiplash every time her eyelids began to droop and her pen trailed across her journal. She would always shake herself off like she was covered in cobwebs, then glance around bashfully before returning to note-taking, only for the process to start all over again.

It was strange.

When the class broke out to do independent work on a character study sheet, Alyssa and her friends grouped together like they usually did, and Alyssa found herself watching Winnie. Winnie slumped heavily against the wall, half-awake and half-listening to the discussion, fumbling with her pen. Alyssa felt the urge to ask if she was alright, but knew better than to call attention to her due to her friend’s track record of teasing the little ginger every chance they got. So, for the moment, she just kept her mouth shut and did her work.

However, when class ended and everyone began making their way to the cafeteria for lunch, she took a moment to check on Winnie, seeing as nobody else was going to do it.

“Hey,” Alyssa gently touched Winnie’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Winnie blinked hazy grey eyes at her. “Yeah?” She answered her. “I’m okay. Why do you ask?”

“You just looked tired, that’s all,” Alyssa said.

“Oh,” Winnie shifted again. “Well-- I’m okay.”

Alyssa didn’t believe her, but she didn’t push it for now.

At lunch, Winnie didn’t eat. She didn’t even buy a tray, she just sat at their usual table, staring blankly at the surface. She wasn’t trying to talk about her special interests at all, which was even more worrying than her not eating.

The others seemed to notice this because Nick piped up, “Got nothing to add, Winifred?”

Winnie looked up. “What?” She squinted at him. “My name isn’t Winifred…”

Nick shrugged. “Oh well. Close enough.”

“What did you say before that?” Winnie asked.

“Don’t want to interrupt us today?” Nick repeated, teasing her. 

Winnie hunched her shoulders in. “No…”

“No fun facts?” Nick poked her further.

“No.”

“Damn,” Nick snapped his fingers. “What a shame!”

Winnie looked away, embarrassed. She didn’t say anything else for the rest of lunch, keeping her eyes turned down, and Alyssa felt her worry grow even more.

It wasn’t until sixth period that Alyssa saw her again.

Winnie was in the library, which didn’t surprise Alyssa, seeing as the girl was always working whenever she could. However, she had her face pillowed in her arms, seemingly asleep. When Alyssa shook her shoulder, she jolted up, nearly falling backwards in the chair. She blinked dazedly up at Alyssa.

“Alyssa?” Winnie said.

“Hey, Winnie,” Alyssa greeted her with a soft smile. “Your studying must be  _ that boring _ , huh?”

Winnie looked down at her open notebook and blushed--or maybe her cheeks were already that red to begin with. “O-oh. Yeah.”

Alyssa tilted her head. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Winnie flipped through the journal sheepishly. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”

But Alyssa did worry. 

She reached out and felt Winnie’s forehead with the back of her hand, finding it hot to the touch. She frowned.

“Winnie, you’re burning up,” Alyssa said. 

“I’m fine,” Winnie whispered.

“You’re not,” Alyssa glanced at the couch set up in the library. “Why don’t you come sit with me and rest?”

“What?” Winnie looked surprised at the offer. “No, Alyssa, I can’t--”

“You’re tired, Winnie,” Alyssa said. “Come on. It’ll be okay. People sleep in the library all the time.”

“Y-yeah, but…” Winnie shifted. It was clear that she was embarrassed at the idea of laying down in public, but her exhaustion was running her dry. Alyssa gently grabbed her arm and hoisted her to her feet. 

“Come on,” Alyssa urged, and Winnie had no choice.

Alyssa and Winnie walked over to the couch and sat down. Winnie was tense at Alyssa’s side, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. The edges were beginning to fray, threads unraveling and puffs of cloth sticking out, from her constant fidgeting. She never seemed to calm down, even while sick.

Alyssa wanted to help change that.

“Can I brush your hair?”

Winnie looked up in an instant and instinctively touched her hair. The natural red locks were in their trademarked pigtail braids, but they were curled together awkwardly, individual strands sticking out in places, meaning that Winnie hadn’t tried very hard when she was putting it up that morning. It had lost its softness, too, suggesting that it was in desperate need of a good washing and brushing. She blushed slightly, probably thinking that Alyssa must have thought it was gross or messy.

“You aren’t the only one who can style hair,” Alyssa lightly teased with a wink, referencing the way Winnie would braid the hair of everyone on the cheer team before games and competitions. She was trying to seem harmless in her request, which she was, but Winnie had more walls up than anyone she had ever met before. She just wanted to help her relax a little more, and maybe even open up to her because Emma liked to share things when she got her hair brushed. Winnie may, too.

Winnie hesitated longer. She kept a hand on one of her braids, sticking a finger through a loop and fiddling her thumb against the end. Then, shifting, she said, “Umm-- I-- Sure.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Alyssa said. “I don’t even have to brush it. But maybe you should just take it out of the braids. It’s bad to keep your hair up all the time, you know.”

Winnie gaped at her. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Alyssa nodded. “It can cause hair breakage, I believe.”

Winnie swallowed thickly. “Oh.” She shifted. “Umm… Can I please just keep it up? The braids are loose.”

“Alright, it’s your choice. Now, come on,” Alyssa patted her leg, which made Winnie flush even more than she already was. “Lay down.”

“W-wait-- I-in your--” Winnie somehow became  _ even darker _ , which was impressive given that her face was already blending in entirely with her hair. She swallowed thickly and squeaked out, “In your lap?”

Alyssa tried not to laugh, not wanting to make the girl even more flustered. “Yeah. We don’t need you hurting your neck by sleeping sitting up.”

“B-but what about Emma?” 

This time, Alyssa  _ did  _ laugh. “We aren’t sleeping together, Winnie.”

“But I’ll be sleeping  _ on  _ you!” Winnie said.

“It’ll be fine,” Alyssa assured her, setting a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. Just relax. It’s gonna be okay.”

Winnie hesitated, then finally relented, allowing Alyssa to pull her into a lounging position with her head laying in her lap.

“There we go,” Alyssa said. “Good girl.”

Winnie’s face definitely heated up further against her thighs. She pulled her knees in so they wouldn’t be dangling off the couch and tried to relax, but Alyssa could feel the tenseness in the muscles in her back.

“So,” Alyssa spoke up after a brief moment of silence between them. “How long have you been feeling bad?”

Winnie shrugged weakly. “Umm… A few days? I mean, my head hurt a lot, but it wasn’t this bad…”

“When did you last sleep?”

It took Winnie by surprise, making her lift her head up slightly to look up at Alyssa, blinking bleary eyes. She definitely didn’t get a good rest last night, if she got any at all. Alyssa eased her head back down.

“A day ago?” Winnie admitted.

“Winnie…” Alyssa sighed. “That’s not good for you, you know. You need sleep.”

“I know!” Winnie said, exasperatedly tired. “But then I had to stay up with my baby brother all last night because he wouldn’t stop crying and nobody else wanted to take care of him, so I got no sleep at all…”

Alyssa frowned. “That’s probably why you feel so crummy.”

Another shrug. “Maybe…”

“Well, you can rest now,” Alyssa said. “So go on. Get some shut eye. I won’t let anyone bother you.”

“Promise?” Winnie looked back up at her, and there was so much anxiety, but also so much trust in her eyes.

“I promise, sweetheart,” Alyssa assured her.

Winnie looked at her a moment longer, then nodded and laid her head back down. She curled up tighter against Alyssa, and it wasn’t long before her breathing evened out completely.

Alyssa kept her promise to the younger girl, keeping watch over her throughout the course of the class. She found herself rubbing her hand up and down Winnie’s back while scrolling through her phone with the other, then found her way to her hair.

Winnie had  _ a lot  _ of hair- Alyssa could tell even with the braids still in. Winnie was already starting to shed all over her legs, proving how thick it really was. Alyssa wished she would take it out of their hair ties, knowing it would be more comfortable, but she respected Winnie’s wishes, though she was quite curious about why Winnie was so hesitant about letting her hair down in front of other people.

It wasn’t long before seventh period began, and Winnie twitched slightly at the resulting bell, but didn’t wake up. In fact, she snuggled even closer to Alyssa, like a kitten seeking warmth, and Alyssa felt endearment flutter inside of her chest.

Her friends joined her in the library, since they didn’t have a last period because they were seniors, and Alyssa instantly regretted her decision of giving them her location when she saw the spark of mischief light up in Nick and Kaylee’s eyes upon seeing Winnie.

“Don’t even think about it,” Alyssa warned, for all the world sounding like a stern mother scolding her children.

“You’ve got a ginger sleeping on you,” Kevin said helpfully.

“I’m jealous,” Emma commented.

Alyssa rolled her eyes in a good-natured way. “Be quiet. She’s trying to rest.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Shelby asked, peering closely at Winnie’s flushed, slumbering face.

“She isn’t feeling well,” Alyssa answered, setting a protective hand on Winnie’s side. She could feel the heat of Winnie’s face leaching right through her leggings. “So don’t bother her.”

“Oh, come on, Alyssa,” Nick said. “Just one time.”

“No.” Alyssa glared at him. “If you’re not going to be quiet, then shoo!” She waved one hand at them, keeping the other rubbing Winnie’s side. 

“You’re such a mom,” Greg laughed.

Alyssa ruffled herself up, trying to look protective and menacing. “Good.”

She had made a promise and she was now determined to keep it.


End file.
